This invention relates to waste reduction, and in particular to a method for reducing and liquifying yard waste.
Presently, back yard waste, consisting of grass cuttings, leaves, twigs, etc., represents somewhere about 12-15% of total waste generated in the United States. This waste amounts to over 50 million tons annually. Burning of this waste is banned in most areas, therefore, this huge amount of waste has to be collected or composted and disposed of. Home owners and commercial landscapers recycle a portion of the composted waste, however, a large amount must still be disposed of. The waste that is collected is done so by municipalities or is dumped illegally, quickly fills landfills. The cost of collection causes budget strains on municipalities and business. There is a need for a method of yard waste treatment which will reduce and/or simplify disposing of waste.
There are currently various devices, such as grinders and chippers or chemical and biological systems, which reduce the size of the waste. But these only reduce size of the waste; any structural change (i.e., decomposition) in the waste may take weeks. This waste must still be disposed of. Mulching lawn mowers have become popular recently. The best commercial types cost over four thousand dollars, or more, however, the smaller home owner types are less effective. Even the use of mulching mowers, after a time, results in a build up of grass clippings creating a larger amount of mulch. The decomposition of this resulting mulch takes time. In time of rapid growth of grass or a large volume of leaves, for example, these mulching mowers may not be able to cope with this increased volume of grass or leaves, and even if they could, the resulting volume of mulch would cause removal and space problems.